


Sick Day

by Control_Room, Random_ag



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Coughing, Henry is a bit scared of his upcoming test, Humor, Johan has Feeling about kids (they are Good), Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sneezing, Stress, Sweet, dont try this at home kids, soft, test worries, worrying about a test
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28676424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Control_Room/pseuds/Control_Room, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_ag/pseuds/Random_ag
Summary: Joey is sick with a little cold, and at he same time Henry is sick with stress about a test coming up.Joey offers a solution.
Relationships: Joey Drew/Henry Stein
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Sick Day

Joey did not feel the best. However, he decided that a little sniffle and a bit of a cough was not enough to keep him from heading down into the studio and working on some episodes. That did not mean that he spent more than an hour in his office, as the moment Ms. Campbell walked in for a briefing, she noticed something was amiss. It made her snort with a small laugh, Joey’s expression becoming one of confusion.

“Susie? What’s-” he held in a sneeze, wrinkling his nose and treating her to the grimace of a dog who just enthusiastically bit down on a particularly sour lemon slice. “What’s so funny?”

“Is that flush for lil’ ol’ me?” she questioned, though the tease in her tone was obvious. Joey’s brow’s shot up in surprise, frowning just a tad. “You look adorably tired, hun.”

“Oh, uh, I’m not tired,” Joey lied, making her laugh again. She put her hands on her hips and hummed in question with a smile, making his currently weak resolution falter. “M-maybe a little bit….”

“A little bit?” she asked, stepping forward to put her hand on his forehead. “Oof. That’s hot. Should I call Dr. Stein for you?”

“If you think it’s best,” Joey conceded, smiling weakly. “I am your hands, my dear.”

“I’ll tell the doc to come take you upstairs,” Susie informed him, turning around to leave. “We can meet up again when you’re feeling better. See you, Mr. Drew.”

“Bye,” he said a little numbly, the day having been shockingly short. Was it that obvious that he had such a little cold? He coughed into his elbow, reaching into his desk for the mirror he used for difficult expressions. Upon seeing himself, disheveled and sleepy with a rather heavy flush, he realized that he did look awfully sick. Perhaps it was for the best to be dragged away from his station. He would not want to die at his desk from working too hard. Who else would lead this company then? Henry was too busy with his own matters to take over the helm of the studio. No, it would be best for Joey to continue doing his job happily with the joy that came with it. 

In full honesty, one of the main reasons that Joey was such a workaholic would probably center around the creative minds that he found himself surrounded with, the geniuses of all manners of intellect, from street smarts to mathematical wizards. Seeing their happiness in a fulfilling job made him happy as well, lauding praise as much as he could and minimizing criticism to the necessities. Another fantastically wonderful aspect was the children.

Kids. Kids were amazing, little lighthouses, beacons of the future! To be blessed with seven, Johan was ecstatic, and to raise millions more through black, white, and technicolor messages, it made his heart swell with due happiness. He loved to travel to schools, to give out supplies and meals and simply see the students learn, unbound curiosity and a unique beauty within each child. Sure, there were times when kids just made him want to rip his hair out, with loudness and madness, but they were only children, and that thought made him happy all over again. It was so easy to make one child’s day, so he tried to make sure to create something special for them, answering every single letter that came to his office, often sending along a certificate for a free plushie of their choice (being that he could not ship one in the letter itself, and what if he chose the wrong one?). He loved reading those letters, he loved replying. After all, children were amazing, their letters oft insightful, and deserved to hear back!

A knock made him fall out of his seat, the wistful smile on his face giving way to one of surprise, and as he pulled himself up, he managed to croak a; “Come in.”

“Hey Joey, Susie told me you were-- why are you on the floor?”

“I uh,” Johan glanced down. “I fell.”

“Aw,” a smile spread over Henry’s face, the minute worry that had been upon it ebbing away. “Did I spook you?” 

“A little bit,” Joey admitted, and Henry came over to help him up, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Hey- I might be contagious.”

“And as a doctor, I tell you that you can’t get sick from just kissing,” Henry replied with a slight wink, adding to Johan’s flush one of fluster. “You’d have to kiss deep to pass a cold along. It doesn’t go through saliva, you know, so a little peck on the lips isn't going to put me out of commission. You’re to wash your hands all the time, though.”

“Understood,” Joey replied, leaning heavily upon the doctor. Henry's strong arms pulled him up with ease, and the doctor's beard tickled on the animator's neck as he nuzzled it. “Mm. Feels nice.”

“Let’s get you in bed. Nothing like good old fashioned nerve structure studies to help put you to sleep,” Henry told him, trying not to feel too worried about said upcoming exam. Johan nodded, and sighed happily as Henry tucked him into their bed, the covers warm and comfortably heavy above him. “I’ll grab you a cup of tea, and then I’ll make sure the studio’s going smoothly. You sit tight and read a book or something, I’ve got a long day.”

He smiled apologetically, but Johan only nodded, eyes already heavy and drifting off to sleep. 

He woke up about ten minutes before Henry’s late night return, the man’s nervously dancing fingers a small shock to Joey. 

“What happened?” he asked, his voice raspy. Henry shrugged it off, smiling a tad; “Nothing but a hard quiz, honey. Guess the next test is going to be a killer.”

Joey hummed, feeling his palate disgustingly dry. At the same time, the taste of water was something he did not think he could have stomached, so he simply extended an arm to caress the chin covered by strawberry blonde hair. 

“You’re getting scruffy,” he commented with a giggle. Henry snorted and joined him in bed, pressing his face to the other’s chest. “When was the l-last time you shaved, you barbarian?”

“Uh--” the right answer was before hearing about the nerve test, but Henry could not remember that. “I don’t quite recall. I’ll be sure too tomorrow.”

“Mm. It makes you look like a viking.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Well, you didn’t buy me a kitten for our engagement,” Joey almost laughed, but then sneezed instead, shaking his head. “Oh, man. I think I’m getting sicker.”

“Well, what can you do about it,” Henry sighed, rubbing his back in calming circles. “Just sleep, honey. I’ll be here tomorrow.”

True to his word, he was: Joey’s morning was made by a neat little breakfast in bed that he found himself eating before he realized he was hungry. It was just enough to send him back to sleep, his body tired from rallying. When he woke up, Henry had just returned once more from the clinic, still unshaved (which made Johan roll his eyes) and carrying a textbook, so enveloped in reading it that he hardly noticed Joey was awake. 

Joey realized then that the poor man was stressed out of his mind for this exam.

“Henry,” he called with a croak, startling the paler man out of his trance, “How goes the studying?”

The doctor bit his lip. He exhaled, shoulders dropping in discomfort as he sat on their bed: “I feel like I know absolutely nothing.” he admitted ruefully. “My head is completely empty. Or maybe it’s so full of the information that I just can’t process at all. I wish I had more time to let it soak in.”

“Mhm,” Johan looked off to the side in thought. What did he do whenever he needed more time for something or wanted to push something off? He drank milk-- throwing up was an excellent excuse to not attend something. But Henry was not lactose intolerant, nor was he a motion sick fellow. Joey frowned in thought, but a cough and sneeze combo snapped him out of it-- and fell into place. “Ah, Henry? You know what I do t-to avoid meetings?”

“I’m not lactose intolerant, Jo,” Henry reminded with a touch of exasperation. “No way that’ll fly.”

“Well, I was thinking…” Johan tried to discover how to explain his idea. “What if… you and I…”

“We can’t change places, Joey, you’re a seven six string bean and I’m a five nine circle.”

“Who said anything about ‘changing places’,” Johan asked, his voice sinking an octave. Henry turned to look at him with mild confusion. “A certain doctor told me… th-that a little peck isn't enough to get someone else sick….”

Henry frowned. His furrowed brows slowly unknitted as the implication of those words finally wormed its way into the little center of his brain designated to the comprehension of speech, and his rosy cheeks darkened into red.

“No,” he said, more from shock than actually declining. Johan leaned closer to him. “I… oh, but if both of us are sick--”

“The studio has quite a few competent workers who can deal with our absence,” Johan assured him. “Linda is old enough to help th-the kids pack their lunches and go to school with them.”

Henry pondered for a moment as his fingers drummed on the sheets, still unsure.

“Will an extra week of studying h-help, or not?” Joey asked, folding his arms and leaning back, Henry twisted to follow unwittingly, drawn to the other like the tide to the moon. “An extra week of studying in bed, I might add.”

“With such a handsome study mate,” Henry murmured with a smile, his hand sliding up Johan’s chest, feeling his heartbeat accelerate as he leaned closer. “I don't think I can refuse.”

Johan grinned back, and their mouths melted together softly. Henry could sense Johan’s nervousness, and was about to move away when a dark hand curled in his hair, holding him in place. He moved back for just a moment to ask Henry a last time.

“You sure?” he questioned, just a touch of worry in his eyes. Henry nodded and returned to his lips. 

Johan’s mouth opened to welcome him in a arid kiss, pressing the shorter man to himself in an embrace made ever so slightly warmer by the heat of the fever. The humidity spiked as Henry accepted the osculation with a smile, the moisture of his health seared by the desert of Joey’s minor illness. Even when Joey needed to cough, Henry kept him close -- suddenly realizing how truly desperate he was to avoid the test that was creeping up on him in but three days. 

“If this doesn’t work tonight,” he whispered, “Then let’s try again tomorrow.”

“You really don’t want to take that test,” Joey teased with a laugh. He was silenced by Henry delving back to his lips. “Mm, this still feels… really nice. M-more tingly than usual.”

“That’s the nerves, babe,” Henry rumbled, sliding his hands up Joey’s shirt, the man writhing and his mind sending mixed signals whether to flinch away from or lean into the contact. Henry kissed along Joey’s neck and shoulder before returning to his mouth. “Have I ever told you that you’re a genius?”

Johan chuckled lovingly: “Oh, shut it.”

“Oh? So you don’t like this--” he paused to flick his tongue, closing his eyes to revel in the gasps that escaped his squirming fiance. “Because I can stop. If you want me to.”

He was answered by a mouth on his.

Joey woke up, still feeling sick, but a touch better. His ears colored as he wondered if perhaps his energies last night had reinvigorated himself. He turned to Henry.

“How are you feeling? Did it work?”

The blonde groaned and sneezed. 

Joey laughed.

“I guess that it did.”


End file.
